About My Practice

I became interested in trauma during my work in the 1990s as the executive director of a community based non profit organization called Straight From The Heart: Black Men of Tomorrow, which focused on empowerment, advocacy, and social change among African-American males. It was at that time I learned about the impact of trauma upon ethnic minority communities.

As a mental health clinician, I am keenly aware of the lasting effects of abuse and trauma as well as the sense of powerlessness and hopelessness in the lives of those involved. I am also aware of the lack of culturally competent programs available for the treatment of offenders or victims of trauma and abuse. Furthermore, the evaluative and assessment information being provided to the legal/judicial system and treating clinicians is inadequate. This results in the failure of these tools to provide insight into the psycho-social characteristics of individuals or the impact of racism, oppression and discriminatory treatment upon those experiencing trauma and victimization or their contributions to the mindset of the perpetrators of trauma.

I offer the following services:

• Anger Management Treatment

  I believe that in order to manage your anger, it is essential for the individual to understand where anger comes from, and to learn how uncontrolled anger can not only result in saying and doing things that may hurt others, but will also negatively impact the life of the angered individual. This program offers anger management classes that meet the requirements of both individual courts and the State of Washington. Duration of treatment is dependent on assessment and/or court orders.

  It is essential for the individual to learn how to utilize anger in constructive ways in order to avoid destructive consequences. In doing so, the goal is to learn how to express yourself in healthy, positive and effective ways. The program offers an eight hour lecture/group discussion psycho-educational format which includes the following themes:

  • Where does anger come from?
  • What happens when I get angry?
  • What to do when you get angry,
  • Instinctual responses to anger,
  • When anger is a problem,
  • Anger management & domestic violence,
  • Handling criticism from others,
  • Positive and Negative Functions of Anger,
  • Self talk, and:
  • Problem solving
• Consulting Services

  As a certified trauma specialist (CTS), I am available to consult about the following concerns

  • Trauma treatment: racial, ethnic and cultural transference and countertransference issues with trauma survivors;
  • Psychological testing: objective personality assessment with the MMPI-2 and/or MCMI, multicultural assessments, Trauma Symptoms Inventory (TSI) and other assessment materials;
  • Diagnostic dilemmas: assistance with complex cases where there are concerns regarding racial, ethnicity and culture;
  • Forensic issues: consulting with attorneys on mental health aspects of civil and criminal cases related to trauma, dissociation, abuse domestic violence, victimization, discrimination and harassment;
  • Fit for Duty evaluations: consultation available to local governments (law enforcement, fire);
  • Military evaluations: domestic violence, trauma, victimization and abuse issues and
  • School evaluations: disciplinary review, fit to return to school (suspension/expulsion).
• Forensic Expert Testimony

  Kane & Associates provides psychological evaluations of adolescents or adults involved in the legal system. In addition, we can provide written or oral consultations for defense issues such as diminished capacity, competency and mitigating circumstances for sentencing. These services may involve evaluating the person(s) charged with felony or misdemeanor crimes. Such evaluations are essential when the defendant is alleging that some psychological or psychiatric condition contributed to the offense or may have created a mental impairment.

  Micheal Kane is available to attorneys to serve as an expert witness and consultant in legal matters involving questions of trauma, dissociation, victimization, discrimination and harassment. Expert witness services include the following:

  • Psychological assessment of plaintiffs in civil matters or defendants in criminal matters
  • Review of records
  • Deposition planning
  • Research
  • Report writing
  • Expert testimony

  If you are an attorney, please contact us directly to discuss your case. Download forensic contract.

  If you are a client, please arrange for your attorney to contact me. Kane & Associates cannot negotiate directly with any party to a case. Download disclosure statement. Regarding qualifying questions and background, please download qualifying questions document.

• Clinical Supervision & Case Consultation

  There may be times in a mental health professional career in which the therapist may find case consultation and supervision to be extremely valuable. It is not uncommon for novice therapists to feel overwhelmed due to the sheer amount and complexity of clinical issues they may face in an agency or private practice. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for the established post-degree therapist to question the utilization of a specific technique or unexpected outcome in therapy sessions with clients due to cultural, ethnicity or racial differences.

  There are those times in which the therapist, due to limited experience with ethnic minority populations, may be concerned with making errors that may negatively impact the therapist-client relationship. I work with therapists in training as well as novice or established therapists in addressing cross-cultural issues such as racial, ethnic and cultural transference and counter-transference, which are normal and to be expected to arise in a given interaction between therapist and client.

  It is not uncommon for ethnic minority clients to come to therapy facing challenges of oppression, trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions and relationship concerns. It is unfortunate that for many therapists must rely on either limited experiences or inadequate opportunities provided during their graduate school training. Issues pertaining to race, ethnicity or culture may raise a level of discomfort however if we are to be of assistance to our clients then we must want to challenge ourselves on the feelings and experiences that either the client or therapist may bring into the therapeutic session. My interest is to create a safe environment in which the therapist can explore such challenges and respond to the questions that transference and countertransference will not doubt arise given the challenges coming from issues external to the therapeutic relationship.

  For those therapists seeking Washington State licensure as a independent social worker (LICSW), mental health counselor (LMHC) or the newly created certified counselor certification, I am certified through the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) in the following areas:

  • Minority Mental Health Specialist (African-American population, biracial identify concerns, LGBT issues)
  • Child Mental Health Specialist
  • Mental Health Professional
  • Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment Provider

  I am also available to provide case consultation and supervision on a variety of topics including the following:

  • Cultural competence in trauma treatment
  • Assessment and treatment of trauma
  • Integrating diversity into psychotherapy and assessment
  • Developing multicultural competence
  • Self care for therapists and vicarious traumaization
  • Racial Identity Theory
• Lectures and Workshops

  Micheal Kane has fifteen years of experience in training, giving lectures, and workshop presentations. Kane & Associates can provide workshops on the following topics:

  • Domestic violence in ethnic minority communities
  • Impact of trauma and clinical implications when working with specific populations (veterans, families, law enforcement)
  • Racial, cultural and ethnic transference and countertransference

  A complete list of my lectures/workshop/conference presentations can be found in the "Curriculum Vitae."